American Bison have had a horrific history, reaching near extinction from hunting and slaughter in the 19th century. Tens of millions used to roam over North America, but today there are just 4,200 left in the wild.

As the dog meat trade persists throughout Asia, the horror stretches far beyond those borders. While the flesh of dogs is consumed in places such as China, South Korea and Vietnam, the skin of these dogs is sent all over the world.

The sea turtle population all over Central America has declined to devastatingly low numbers. Although sea turtles are protected under Salvadoran law, the Ministry of Natural Resources does not even attempt to enforce turtle protection.

In mid-April, Assistant District Attorney Paul Humphrey made an unprecedented move and charged hunter Kurt Rausch with two felony counts of mistreatment of animals for fatally shooting two dogs while coyote hunting on public land in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.

Over nine billion farmed animals (with this number not even including farmed aquatic animals) are killed for consumption in the United States every year, yet shockingly, they are completely excluded from the Animal Welfare Act.

You may remember, In Defense of Animals fought last year to stop Illinois Bill 352, which proposed an annual bobcat trapping and hunting season after 42 years of protection. There is a reason bobcats were made a protected species.

Every year, people turn out along the east coast to see sharks, but unfortunately not to watch these incredible animals in the wild. Many of these remarkable predators are brutally killed, strung up by their tails, and weighed.

Frozen in time, the Buffalo Zoo in Buffalo, New York continues to keep the Asian elephant captives, Jothi and Surapa, inside the inhospitable prison it calls a barn, for yet another brutal Buffalo winter.

Last October, a report surfaced which shows that a Colorado rancher and livestock hauler purchased 1,794 wild horses and willingly and illegally sold each of these magnificent wild animals to suffer a brutal death at slaughterhouses in Mexico.

Two cat rescue groups, Community Cats Coalition and Alley Cats Allies, advocated vehemently to save a community cat named Oliver, who Worcester County Animal Control assumed prejudicially and without evidence to be infected with rabies.

2015 may be the "year of the elephant" more than any other year thus far. Most of us are now aware that elephants are on the brink of extinction. The poaching crisis death toll rises daily and we are exposed to the heart wrenching images of....

India is home to millions of street dogs. It is almost impossible to get an accurate count, but the World Health Organization has estimated the number at approximately 25 million. That's a lot of dogs.

Imagine 1,550 restaurants across the country enticing millions to try delicious, cruelty-free dishes that cause no harm to animals. IHOP, known for its classic breakfast dishes, has just appointed a new culinary director.

On November 3, 2016, Judge Howell Beech of Jones County Justice Court found George Moffett of Moselle, Mississippi, guilty of willfully not taking his dog for veterinary care when he discovered that she had been horribly injured.

Each year, millions of dogs are caught up in the brutal and torturous dog meat trade that spans several countries throughout Asia, including South Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Caged and killed. These words describe Harambe's life and now his death. Just one day after celebrating his 17th birthday, on May 28th, Harambe was gunned down after a boy slipped into the gorilla's confined enclosure.

We write with deeply concerning news that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the removal of yet another species from the protected species list: this time the grizzlies of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

In November, Nevada state authorities responded to two exotic animal abuse cases that beg the question, "Why does Nevada have the least amount of protection for "exotic," non-native animals than any other state?"

In Defense of Animals has seen multiple reports of K-9 officers being left in vehicles to die slow and agonizing deaths. We will continue to report on these incidents until the law enforcement officers responsible for these deaths are brought to justice.

In Jinan, China, the small Dayang New District has recently outlawed dogs as animal companions. Citing complaints from residents, the government posted a notice that all families must, "Deal with it on your own...."

Brandy Gidden, the wife of Jackson, Mississippi police officer Rahn Gidden, posted pictures of a pit bull puppy she hoped to sell with bloody, mutilated ears. The puppy, who looked to be 6-8 weeks old, had bloody ears because he was the victim of....

Two Harris County teenagers have been arrested for the brutal slaying of a llama and the shooting of her mate at Figment Ranch in Cypress, Texas. For two months, authorities were at loss as to who may have committed this sadistic crime.

Our world can be as dark a place for humans as it is for animals. Years of cruelty investigations have led members of our staff to witness the lingering terror and anguish suffered by women and men who have been abused by those....

Did you know that the Animal Welfare Act provides ZERO protection for farmed animals? This is because the law currently defines acceptable treatment of animals according to their use rather than their capacity to suffer.

Another "role model" has shocked the nation with his brutality and failed an upcoming generation in Waco, Texas. A disturbing video recently surfaced on social media showing a Baylor University football player....

Owners of the popular veggie restaurant chains Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre, have committed the ultimate betrayal to their loyal veg customer base by announcing on their website that they have begun killing the animals residing on their property.

The Commodity Checkoff Improvement Act of 2016 (S. 3201) arose in response to the American Egg Board's conspiracy with top egg industry executives to prevent Just Mayo, an eggless mayonnaise, from entering the market.

Bees, our small friends who play a vital role in pollinating the flowers that become the fruits and vegetables we all need to survive, are still under attack, and their numbers are so reduced that extinction is a very real threat....

The state of Washington is gunning down and wiping out one of its native wolf packs in the Northeast. There are only roughly 100 wolves remaining in the entire state. Pups and adults alike are being killed indiscriminately to line the pockets of a select.

More people than ever are saying YES to healthful, plant-based dairy options, and NO to products that rely on the forced separation of mothers and babies, and brutal, short lives as living milk-machines.

Earlier this month, the Korea National Assembly passed a bill to phase out animal testing for cosmetics by 2018! It is a wonderful step forward as South Korea now joins countries such as India, Israel and Brazil which have all taken steps to end cruel....

Another year of Boknal Days "celebrations" have come to a close in South Korea. Yet again, these "celebrations" have claimed thousands of dogs who were all beaten, tortured, brutally killed and then eaten.

The City of Ann Arbor is planning to use the ineffective and cruel method of blasting 100 deer with gunshot in public parks, less than 450 feet from residents' homes, to fatally control the deer population.

A new proposal could allow wind energy companies to kill or injure up to 4,200 bald eagles a year. Wind turbines already kill hundreds of thousands of winged animals each year in the United States alone; from bats, to small migratory songbirds....

Along Hawaii's beautiful coastline, trouble is brewing for dolphins. Ann Garrett of the National Marine Fisheries Service recently appeared on NPR's Morning Edition show to raise the flag on harm being done to dolphins by Hawaiian tour operators.

With its cute bear pictures and conservations claims, you might suppose that Bear Trust International is an organization with bears' best interests at heart. But don't be fooled. This slimy organization is actively working alongside the gun lobby...

Earlier this month, we learned that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rogue animal-killing program, USDA Wildlife Services, is employing sickening and brutal strategies to wipe out whole families of wolves in Idaho....

Tet celebrations in Vietnam ring in the Lunar New Year early in the New Year (roughly the beginning of February) with weeklong festivities. The entire country is imbued with festive cheer as families reunite and wish for luck in the new year.

Over the last number of years, we have written alerts and posts about the cruel and deadly actions which have been happening in Oregon towards cormorants. Unfortunately the state is planning yet another callous and heartless action against them.

The existence of wild horses in the US is in jeopardy. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is at it again, continuing to support the interests of ranchers, and its latest plans involve rounding up horses in Wyoming's Checkerboard lands.

Cat advocates in Winter Park, Florida are outraged that City Commissioners adopted a temporary ordinance to prohibit the feeding of community cats in Mead Botanical Garden. Some of the cats are sterilized and some are not.

2017 could be a fatal year for wolves in Norway. The Norwegian government has announced a plan to kill two-thirds of its wild wolf population. People all over the country, and outside its borders, are now reacting.

The City of Ann Arbor, Michigan has ordinances which do not allow hunting within city limits and it clearly has admitted that it does not have a deer population problem, or a deer/vehicle accident problem, yet it intends to brutally butcher 100 innocent..

The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro advisory board has recommended that the BLM kill over 44,000 wild horses currently in holding facilities across the U.S. We cannot let that happen.

Each year, millions of dogs are caught up in the brutal and torturous dog meat trade that spans several countries throughout Asia, including South Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.

For someone who wishes to eat a healthy, environmentally responsible, and cruelty-free meal at Culver's, the options are severely limited. Although a veggie burger is offered at some locations, it is sadly not vegan. Let's change this!

Americans are now eating less animal flesh than ever before. Yet both the livestock industry and many in the food industry are not happy about this turn of events and are advocating for Americans to not only eat more flesh, but to consume more species.

Each August, the Tippah County Fair in Mississippi holds a "Farm Animal Scramble," during which rabbits, chickens, pigs, goats and calves are released into an arena and small children are encouraged to chase them down and catch them.

California's foie gras ban was overturned last Wednesday, January 7, by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson in Los Angeles. He ruled that the ban, passed in 2004 and only recently in effect as of 2012, illegally encroaches on the regulatory domain

A pack of feral dogs has been running wild in the streets of Lahaina, Hawaii at night and killing feral cats, family pets, chickens, and other small dogs. The Maui Humane Society (MHS) claims they do not have the funding nor the staff to...

In a shocking act of collusion, big agricultural commodity groups have successfully introduced a provision in the 2017 Agricultural Appropriations Act (H.R. 5054) that exempts them from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Your action is urgently needed to prevent the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) plans to conduct cruel and unethical sterilization experiments on wild horses this spring, including painful and life-threatening surgeries on pregnant mares...

On Wednesday, January 6, 2016 in Fairfield, California, Solano County prosecutors had 31 year old Brandi Chin of Fairfield arrested and charged with throwing her ex-boyfriend's dog, a pug, on the pavement during a raging altercation with him.

According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, Hwange National Park visitors witnessed the capture of baby elephants by government helicopters and ground teams.

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In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.